OVERFLOWING JOY

OVERFLOWING JOY

Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now,
you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.
1 Peter 1:8

I remember reading Jonathan Edwards classic book, Religious Affections, and in his introductory comments he began to expound on this verse. He said that Peter was describing glorified joy. You see, Jonathan had experienced this unspeakable joy for himself in the outpouring of the Spirit in his church. Not only him, but his wife as well as hundreds of others in Northampton experienced supernatural joy. Actually, there was an eighteen month period where the whole town seemed to be bubbling over with the joy of The Lord. This joy is actually very practical. As we yield to it, it begins to effect the way we live our lives. Here is something Andrew Murray said about this heavenly joy.

“The verse speaks of people who had not yet seen Christ, but nonetheless loved Him and believed in Him. They were filled with inexpressible joy. The most important feature of the Father and the Son is their love for each other and for mankind. This should also be the most important characteristic of a true Christian: The love of God fills one’s heart and becomes a fountain of living water flowing toward others. This love for Christ is not merely an emotion; it is a working principle. It finds pleasure in doing the will of the Lord. It is a joy to obey His commands. Great love invokes great faith—faith in His love for us, faith in the powerful revelations of His love in our hearts, and faith that His love will bring forth the best within us. This faith and love will fill you with unspeakable joy. The joy of the Christian is a witness to the world of the power of Christ to change hearts.”

Have you ever experienced the joy of serving The Lord by ministering to others? Actually that’s exactly what ‘Feed the Multitudes’ (our annual free food festival) is all about. FTM is actually the overflow of the joy of The Lord that we are experiencing at Victory Fellowship. He pours into us and we respond by pouring His love out on others. Maybe you feel like you are stuck in a boring Christian life. What is the solution? Radical joy that flows from heaven that demands by its nature to be shared with others.

2 thoughts on “OVERFLOWING JOY”

HALLELUJAH, YES, PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME…
I LOVE BUBBLING OVER II N HIS JOY AND LOVE , HALLELUJAH!
FILL ME UP KING OF KINGS, HAVE YOUR WAY HOLY SPIRIT. 🙂
GOOD MORNING, PASTOR FRANK. HE IS AWESOME, LOVE YOU ALL, HAVE A GREAT DAY IN OUR KING JESUS!
HAVE A JOYFUL AND BUBBLING DAY RUNNING OVER, THANK YOU JESUS… 🙂